Paul Ince is on a four-man shortlist being interviewed for the vacant England under-21 role

Former Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill and current England under-20 boss Aidy Boothroyd are the other names in the hunt for the crucial role.

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Pearce has held the job before when he was in the position for six years – only to leave after the flop at the 2013 European under-21 Championship when his highly-rated team lost all of their group matches.

England under-20 boss Aidy Boothroyd has taken charge of the under-21 side on a caretaker role in the last two matches

Pearce has only held one management role since leaving the FA in 2013, a 32-game stint in charge at former club Nottingham Forest that heralded little success.

Former Watford and Northampton boss Boothroyd is part of the FA fabric having worked there since 2014 at under-19 and under-20 level – and has worked in a caretaker role with the under-21s in the last two matches.

Former Bristol City and Stoke boss Steve Cotterill is also on the shortlist with the FA

Cotterill has less pedigree than his rivals for the job, but has plenty of experience developing young players during his time in charge of seven EFL clubs.

The new manager will be given the task of leading the under-21 side in the European Championship in Poland this summer where they have been dran in the same group as the hosts, along with Slovakia and Sweden.

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